Draymond Green remains the frontrunner for this season’s Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award.
However, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland believes there’s an unexpected factor giving the Warriors forward an edge—and it has nothing to do with his on-court performance.
Despite Draymond Green’s respectable defensive numbers (one block, 1.5 steals, and five defensive rebounds per game), Garland points to something entirely different as the veteran’s ‘cheat code‘ in the DPOY race.
“Draymond really has a cheat code with his podcast,” Garland revealed during his appearance on the Run It Back Podcast.
“So he can really go in there every day and talk, which is super cool and it’s really working,” he added.
Green has indeed been vocal in the media. On his podcast The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis, he frequently highlighting his defensive impact.
The Warriors forward hasn’t been shy about self-promotion, even declaring during postgame interviews that he deserves the prestigious honor.
This media presence gives Green a platform that many other DPOY candidates simply don’t have—allowing him to control the narrative around his defensive prowess.
From Garland’s perspective, however, the award should go to his Cavaliers teammate, Evan Mobley.
Garland believes Mobley has been criminally underrated in the DPOY conversation. “Evan really deserves it. Young guy in the league, that’s really starting to come into his own.”
“His mindset is trying to stop the best defenders, trying to protect the paint, try to protect the rim as much as he can,” Garland advocated.
Garland didn’t stop at just voicing support, he pointed to Mobley’s impressive defensive statistics as evidence.
“Even the numbers, like the statistics, are insane. He’s almost averaging about two blocks a game,” he explained.
The numbers back up Garland’s claim. Mobley has recorded 1.6 blocks, 0.9 steals, and seven defensive rebounds per game this season.
Furthermore, the Cavaliers rank eighth in defensive rating, just one spot behind Green’s Warriors—showcasing Mobley’s crucial role in Cleveland’s defensive scheme.
